Happy Monday – an oxymoron if there ever was one… feeling all kinds of sadness about another shooting in our beautiful country. Again. And again. And again. And again. ☹️

It’s the first full week back to school for the kids and I’ve got loads to catch up on – car maintenance, reviews to write, appointments to make…..  But first, books and coffee! (Unless I get distracted by the news….or a squirrel!)

HERE’S WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

I finished two books last week and peeked at a quite few others (see my Instagram for all the beauties that came my way!).

The Accidental Truth: What My Mother’s Murder Investigation Taught Me About Life by Lauri A. Taylor – an honest and emotional story of a woman looking for answers and learning to deal with her grief.  Full Review to come.

Lauri Taylor was just your average suburban PTA mom and marketing exec. Then tragedy struck. When her mother is found dead in Mexico, Lauri finds herself embarking on a journey of discovery. She strives to uncover the identity of her mother’s murderer while struggling against the unbearable guilt of having been powerless to prevent her murder―but what she finds isn’t what she was expecting.

Lauri Taylor’s memoir The Accidental Truth: What my mother’s murder investigation taught me about life tells the true story of a woman’s quest as she seeks understanding and atonement. With the help of famed FBI profiler Candice DeLong, Lauri begins her transformation into a skilled and unrelenting investigator, earning the praise of even the most seasoned cold-case detectives. As she works to unearth the secrets buried in her mother’s life and death, key evidence comes to light and a shocking revelation unfolds.

 Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult (October 2, 2018)

This was an excellent read, even with a very difficult subject matter – abortion.  I felt real emotions for the characters.  More than a political statement, it’s also a story of fathers and daughters and what being a parent means.  Hugh and his daughter Wren, George and Lil Bit, Aunt Bex, Jeanine’s secret – it all comes together as only JP can do.  Full Review to come.

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center—a women’s reproductive health services clinic—its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage.

After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic.

Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day.

HERE’S WHAT I WANT TO READ THIS WEEK:

I’m all over the place, distracted and picking up books left and right.  Focus woman! Since its almost the end of the month, here are two Netgalley ARCs I’m planning definitely committed to reading in order to finish out the month strong.

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory, September 4, 2018

This looks like a light and easy read – someone who reviewed it said it was “bubbly and feel-goody and adorable”.  I’m all in!

The author of The Wedding Date serves up a novel about what happens when a public proposal doesn’t turn into a happy ending, thanks to a woman who knows exactly how to make one on her own…

When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise–or happen in front of 45,000 people.

When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part–they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…

The Lying King, Alex Beard (September 4, 2018)

Yes, its a kids book and yes, it will help my dismal Netgalley ratio!  But seriously, doesn’t everyone need a reminder that truth is truth and up is up no matter how much a king likes to lie and say differently?!

Can warthogs fly? Do tigers eat broccoli?

For answers, follow along as Warthog lies his way to the throne in this timeless, yet most timely, Tale from the Watering Hole.

Will the Truth catch up with the king?

Find out as Alex Beard’s whimsical animals come to life to illuminate real world truths for children of all ages. With a nod to Aesop and Kipling, this funny and pointed parable has lessons for everyone, from the playground to the boardroom and beyond!

What about you? What are you reading?  What do you do when you get too distracted to read?

Tell me what you’re looking forward to this week….book-related or not! 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

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#IMWAYR is a weekly meme hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. It’s a great way to recap your weekend and plan your reading goals for the week ahead.